SEC. VILSACK ENCOURAGES USE OF E15

MAY 2012

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(Posted Fri. May 4th, 2012)

May 4: In a continued effort by the administration to support the biofuels industry, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has called on petroleum companies to increase the percentage of ethanol in America’s gas tanks by adopting E15. The Environmental Protection Agency approved the blend as a fuel option for most vehicles in 2010, and once the blend becomes commercially available, it will support the ethanol industry’s efforts to help keep gas prices down.

"The availability of E15 will increase America's energy security and spur additional job creation," Vilsack said. "Increasing the percentage of ethanol to be blended with gasoline will help boost economic growth while lessening the nation's dependence on foreign oil."

E15 and the Renewable Fuel Standard advance the use of domestically produced renewable fuels, help encourage new technologies, bring jobs to rural America and enhance U.S. energy independence. More than 70,000 Americans are directly employed by the production of ethanol; many in rural America, thanks to the expansion under the RFS. In addition, the use of ethanol has reduced gas prices by roughly 89 cents per gallon, decreasing the average household’s gasoline bill by roughly $800 per year. A broad coalition of stakeholders, including ethanol and agricultural organizations, environmentalists, oil companies and state air officials, supported the legislation.